For the first time after missing for a year and a half due to Achilles rehabilitation, the now Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant returned to the basketball court on Sunday for the preseason game against the Washington Wizards.
During the postgame interview, Durant shared that he was anxious and nervous as he visualized the moment for nine to 10 months, thinking about how the next phase of his career would be.
He also shared that he felt like he was chomping, especially when the coronavirus pandemic hit because he did not see any future and when the season was going to start in the future.
Durant emphasized that by going through it all, it felt solid.
The first points of the Nets in the game came from the 'Slim Reaper' courtesy of an authoritative dunk, and Durant followed that with an assist to their center DeAndre Jordan for a slam dunk.
The Nets proved themselves to be a contender after defeating the Washington Wizards, 119-114, wherein in just 24 minutes of playing time, Durant dropped 15 points with 5-of-12 shooting from the field along with 3 assists and 3 rebounds.
Durant also added that it felt great to be back in a routine, especially on the floor, as he feels like a player again.
He also mentioned that he thinks he did not play great, but he believes he had some solid moments on his first game in the Nets uniform.
One of them was when the Slim Reaper drew a charge on Wizards' forward Rui Hachimura early in the game.
Durant also shared while laughing that he definitely feels it right now as he is happy that he's already back in the flow of things as he gained some confidence in stepping back on the court.
For Durant, it is also a good step as he continues to build on it.
According to NBC Sports, before their first preseason game, former NBA player and first-year head coach Steve Nash shared that he hoped to play both Kyrie Irving and Durant for not less than 20 minutes in each game of the Nets in two preseason games.
After the game, Nash stated that after having that type of injury, it was remarkable that Durant still has that kind of level in his game.
The new Nets coach also added that it was amazing to see Durant play right now as only a few people have conquered that kind of injury, and it was beautiful to see him back on the basketball court as the world missed him, USA TODAY reported.
After missing the last season due to his season-ending shoulder injury, Irving also finished the game with 7-of-9 shooting from the field, which converted into 18 points.
The returning Nets guard played for 18 minutes; however, he declined to speak to reporters after the game. He continues to break the league's media rules, which already resulted in a $25,000 fine on Friday for not interacting and speaking to reporters, ESPN reported.
